


Running Wild

by NoelEnough



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Alternate Universe - Western, Asexual Character, F/M, Killing, Kissing, Murder, Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Sexism, Prostitution, Western
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-08-29 16:29:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16747528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoelEnough/pseuds/NoelEnough
Summary: Margot Stenson lives a normal life. Or at least as normal as she can manage. She works at a saloon in a no name town in the middle of nowhere. But that's the way she wants it, quiet and unassuming because Margot has a past that is best kept hidden. Her luck runs out as two men wander into Aurasberg, each with knowledge that she can't afford to let get out and it's a race to keep them quiet. She knows she's in trouble when Vagabond is the easier one to silence.  ***Edit: Yes, I changed the title. The old one wasn't working for me anymore.***





	1. Unexpected

          The saloon was as loud and packed as it usually was, all the workers coming in from the mines or the railroad to relax for the evening, but there was an air of caution that seemed to subdue the patrons. The men playing poker in the corner looked around suspiciously a little more often, every time the doors swung open the room quieted as a hesitant greeting to the newcomer, the bartender was starting to hide his more expensive stock, and the dancers and call girls jumped anytime someone touched them. Afraid it would be one of _them._

I drifted from table to table, taking orders and filling drinks, trying to make everyone relax some, but my friendliness could only go so far and as soon as I walked away they would go back to looking over their shoulders. I couldn’t blame them, I was on edge too, but the likelihood that they would show up and cause a scene was low. At most, they would come in and I’d have to serve their drinks to the dark table in the corner where people like them liked to sit.

          I sighed heavily as I returned to the bar and waited for refills, picking at a knot in the wood as I thought about the looming threat.

          _He_ had been spotted on the road between here and neighboring Primville, and while no one had _seen_ the rest of them, the Fakes weren’t too far behind him. His intimidating black shadow was never without the five grinning members of the Fake AH Crew. I swallowed hard as I thought of him walking into the saloon. I had never seen the man in person, but like all the other great outlaws of the west, everyone knew enough to recognize him on a wanted poster.

          He had long hair that was pulled back, was tall, solidly built, and wore all black, save for a dark blue vest. They say that his boots were weighted so that he could walk across a room and command everyone’s attention, but others claimed that he bought special boots that were lighter than normal so that he could come and go as he pleased, unnoticed. He kept his hat pulled down low and his black and white bandana pulled up over his face, ensuring that no one ever saw enough of his face to recognize him without them. The only tell-tale feature that everyone knew was his eyes. Deep, crystal blue and cold like the runoff from glaciers, and just as unfeeling as he stilled anyone who was unfortunate enough to meet his gaze.

          He goes by many names: The Black Rider. The Specter of Death. The Reaper's Icy Hand, but most knew him as _Vagabond_.

          The door swung open and a momentary hush fell as everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the man who just walked in. He was tall, but lanky and his hair was barely past his ears and disheveled. I could see his ego inflate as he took in everyone’s gaze and he visibly became disappointed when he was promptly ignored. I laughed quietly as I picked up the drinks and tried to keep that smile on my face for the rest of the evening.

          As I had predicted, midnight came and went without even a hint of Vagabond and the last few patrons were being cut off or carried up to their rooms by the women they had either wooed or paid for. I was wiping down tables when I felt my skirts lift slightly. On instinct, I spun around and swatted at the hand that had been trying to creep under my clothes. I snarled at the lanky man from earlier as he smiled up at me. I had been waiting on him all night, so I knew he wasn’t drunk, and I didn’t know if that made me feel better or worse. At least a drunkard could blame the booze for getting handsy.

          “What?” he smirked. “Woman like you must be used to men like me.”

          “I think you’re a little confused mister, ‘cus I ain’t _that_ kinda woman,” I frowned. “Not that I’m against their work. I just ain’t on the market.”

          “How much for you to be on the market?” he pressed on, taking my eye roll as an invitation to continue. “Now, now, deary. E’rybody’s gotta price, and even if yours is high, I think I’d be willin’ to part with a pretty penny for an evenin’ tangled up with you.”

          I turned to leave, shaking my head and doing my best to not smack him upside his disgusting head. I was unfortunately used to this solicitation, and I could usually walk away from the men and only get a few derogatory remarks in return. But then there were men like him that took a little bit more dissuasion.

          He grabbed a hold of my skirts and yanked me back to face him, all the suave and charm gone and replaced by barely hidden anger. He wasn’t used to rejection, and boy was I about to give him enough to last a lifetime.

          “I told you I ain’t sellin’!” I snapped as I balled my fists and tried to tower over him, but this only seemed to entice him more.

          “And I told you, everyone’s got a price,” he smiled as his eyes drifted down my body. “So, what’s yours sweetheart? If you ain’t on the market, I bet you don’t got much in the way of money. I got ten dollars with your name on it and all you gotta do is let me get a good look under your skirts.”

          I chewed on my lip in consideration. I wasn’t _seriously_ considering his offer, not by a long shot, but ten dollars was my usual price when men like him wouldn’t take no for an answer. I needed something higher than fifteen because I had the sneaking suspicion that he had a little extra on hand.

          “Sorry hun, you ain’t cute enough for a price that low,” I huffed, trying to paint myself as holier than thou to turn him off even more. “If you want me that badly, you’re gonna have to cough up somethin’ like twenty-five.”

          As I had hoped, he huffed indignantly and released my skirts before slumping back into his chair. He scowled up at me but didn’t make any immediate moves to try and take me by force.

          “You’re right,” he scoffed. “You ain’t no whore. You’re a damned bandit! Tryin’ to take a man’s hard earned money like that. Where do you get off chargin’ that kinda coin? You ain’t nothing special! You’s pretty, but you ain’t nothing I couldn’t go find for five bucks somewhere else!”

          “I don’t know ‘bout you, but I don’t think you could find another pretty little thing like this,” a low voice said behind me.

          The lanky man in front of me blanched, making the man behind me chuckle and sending a chill down my spine. I was afraid to move because if this newcomer’s presence was enough to cow the persistent asshole in front of me, I sure as hell didn’t stand a chance. A hand took my waist and pulled me backwards, away from the initial threat and into the waiting chest of the new one.

          I glanced around and saw that everyone else in the saloon was either the same shade of paper white as the lanky man or was flat out trying to run away. Without moving, I looked down and felt my blood run cold as the arm looping around me was clad in black, his hand dirty from a few days on the trail and his black jeans were dirtied from road dust.

          “I’ll let you know in the mornin’ though,” the man behind me continued, his voice rumbling through his chest and rattling my bones. “‘Cus it just so happens that I’ve got twenty-five burnin’ a hole in my pocket and a room waitin’ for me upstairs.”

          The man’s other hand appeared holding out a couple bills and waving them in front of my face. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, but I couldn’t feel his breath on my skin, and judging by the mortified looks I was getting, I could guess why.

          “Unless you were lying about your price,” he hissed, making me swallow hard as I felt the fabric of a bandana brush against my neck

          “I’m a woman of my word, especially when speaking to large, monied men,” I managed to choke out and leaned into him with a devil may care attitude even though I was still terrified.

          “Good,” he practically purred. “Now why don’t you wait right here while I grab some grub. It’s a long way from Primville with no rations.”

          “I’ll lower my price if you get enough for two,” I teased, fighting past my fear because they say he could smell it.

          He hummed and chuckled in my ear before releasing me. I wobbled for a moment as his support left me to stand on knees made of jelly. The way his fingertips brushed across my waist only made it worse, but I played it off as a swoon, reaching out for a nearby chair and clutching my chest as I turned to face the legend himself.

          Vagabond’s blue eyes watched my act with interest, the corners of his eyes crinkled from the smile hidden beneath his bandana and once he was content with watching me fan myself, he turned away from me and towards the bar. Once I was free of his attention, I let myself slump over a little and tried to quell the panic that was setting in.

          Not only had he so boldly touched me, _he flat out bought me!_ The jelly feeling in my knees spread to the rest of my legs as I took deep, slow breaths to calm myself. I just needed to do whatever he said and hopefully, I could come out of this alive. My mind wandered from that thought and I stared off as it took a dark turn.

          What if he was just as cruel in bed as he was everywhere else? If he pulled his bandana down to eat and kiss me, was I going to die? Because no one saw his face and got to live. No one but the rest of the Fake AH Crew. Where were they? Was he on his own, or was it really just a matter of time before they rolled into town too?

          I stood on my slightly more solid legs and tried to straighten myself out to look more appealing. Maybe if I was pretty enough, he wouldn’t hurt me. What if I couldn’t please him? I was inexperienced and it had been years since I had any kind of romance in my life. But how experienced could he be? I couldn’t imagine many women followed him to bed, but maybe he bought whores all the time. I feel like I would have heard something like that, but it was a big world and maybe something like that got tossed to the side in favor of his more infamous habits.

          “Hey! Firebrand!”

          I snapped to attention as he shouted for me, puzzled for a moment as I thought about what exactly he had just called me. He jerked his head towards the tray of food that the barkeep was setting down before bending over to gather his various packs. Without a second thought I crossed the saloon and took the tray, only feeling slightly embarrassed about becoming his personal servant, and tried to paint my face to appear sultry and expectant. I gave the ground floor one last look, and everyone still in the saloon nodded to me like I was never going to be seen again.

          His room was at the end of the upper balcony, the farthest from the stairs and the last one that would be checked by lawmen if they came looking for Vagabond. It was unlikely they would hunt him, Aurasberg was a small town that relied heavily on the railroad workers for its income and thus we only had one sheriff and his deputy. Vagabond’s only real concern would be if some Marshals or a Texas Ranger walked in looking for him before the rest of the Fakes joined him.

          He opened the door and held it for me, motioning for me to enter with a dramatic sweep of his arm and pulling a genuine giggle from me.

          “Such a gentleman,” I poked.

          “My Mama didn’t raise me to disrespect women,” he hummed and closed the door behind him.

          The lock sliding homemade goosebumps raise on my arms and I could feel my heartbeat pick up with every one of his slow, deliberate footsteps towards me. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and quickly walked away from him to set the platter down on the table in the otherwise barren room. It wasn’t until it was out of my hands did I realize that he had listened to me and ordered a second bowl of stew and roll.

          “Which is why I won’t make you lower your price for the food,” he hummed in my ear. “And why I’ll let you eat first so we don’t have to share the one chair at the table.”

          “Thank you,” I nodded gingerly sitting down and taking one of the bowls.

          I listened to him as he walked around the room, unpacking his things and generally setting up for the night. Maybe it was the warm food, maybe I was just grateful that I wasn’t dead yet, but after a few minutes of eating, I was feeling brave enough to talk to my new bedfellow.

          “You’re unpacking like you’re gonna be here for a while.”

          “I _am_ gonna be here for a while,” Vagabond responded. “I got about a week before the rest of the crew can join me here. Until then, I’m gonna stick around and let myself get comfortable for once. Been a _long_ time since I’ve enjoyed the comfort of a real bed and not a cot or bedroll.”

          “Why Firebrand?” he hissed, suddenly behind me and in my ear. “You lookin’ to keep me company the whole time? Cuz it’s been even longer since I’ve had someone to enjoy the comfort of a real bed with me.”

          “Only if you got the cash,” I giggled, trying to hide the odd combination of fear and nervous excitement that made my stomach do flips.

          “Listen here sweetheart,” he cooed as he rested his hands on the back of the chair. “It doesn’t take a mind reader to know you’ve never done this before. I love the spunk kid, but you can stop pretendin’ you’re a workin’ girl. I know you threw out that price to throw him off your case, but I’m sure you could tell that he was gonna have you tonight whether you liked it or not. So I did the right thing, paid your price and now you can spend the night in here with me to stay out of his disgusting hands.”

          I stared down into my half empty bowl and tried to keep myself from shaking. He was right. If Vagabond hadn’t stepped in, that lanky bastard would have followed me all the way to my room and tried to have his way with me while I was kicking and screaming the whole time. What Vagabond _didn’t_ know was that I could have taken care of him myself. I wasn’t some little woman with a weak constitution. If he knew some of the things I’d done to keep myself safe, he might actually be impressed.

          But I’d be lying if Vagabond’s unorthodox protection didn’t make it easier on me. Fighting off even the useless piece of shit downstairs would draw attention to myself, and if I drew _too_ much attention I would need to skip town and start over.

          Again.

          “Thank you,” I said again, this time looking over my shoulder and meeting his gaze.

          This time around, his cool blue eyes were less like the icy glaciers I had met earlier and more like a crystal-clear swimming hole. They weren’t as cold and unfeeling, and now that I knew he had bought me to protect me, I was feeling a little more comfortable with the notoriously violent criminal.

          “And here I was, thinking you bought a whore in every town you stopped at.”

          “My list of vices is a long one,” he rumbled. “But alcohol and women aren’t on that list.”

          “What the hell do you drink if you don’t drink alcohol?” I giggled as I set my empty bowl down.

          “Coke.”

          I was in the process of standing up when he spoke and I froze in place as the word settled in.

          “Soda,” I huffed. “You don’t drink booze, but you do drink _soda.”_

          “I like to be in control of myself,” he grumbled. “I don’t like getting drunk and losing control. That and Coke tastes better. Why? You got somethin’ against it?”

          “No,” I giggled. “It just wasn’t what I expected from the infamous Vagabond.”

          “I’m a whole lot of unexpected,” he huffed as he took my seat and sighed as he kicked his feet up onto the table. “Now make yourself comfortable. I’m serious about you stayin’ with me until the morning when that creep is gone.”

          I turned my head toward the bed and sighed as I realized that it was just _barely_ big enough for two people. Butterflies took off in my stomach as I sat down on the edge of the bed and kicked off my boots. I started unlacing my corset but froze when I became keenly aware of the sound of Vagabond’s chewing and the feeling of his gaze. Heat crept up my neck as I glanced up at him and I was completely taken by what I saw.

          He was a little older than I expected him to be and was incredibly handsome for a man in his mid to late thirties who was an active criminal like him. His long blond ponytail sat on his shoulder and looked soft despite the few days of travel it took to get from Primville to Aurasberg. The rugged, rough and tumble look was only complimented by his firm jawline and scruffy stubble. The corner of his mouth quirked up and I lifted my eyes to his. The sparkle I had seen before was more intense now that I could see the smirk that caused it.

          “You like what you see Firebrand?” he grinned wolfishly.

          The creeping heat exploded across my cheeks as he chuckled at me and I quickly looked away. I searched the room for something to distract myself with and was surprised to see a stack of books on the bedside table. My heartbeat slowed as I reached out for them, pulling out a very familiar title from the middle of the stack. I ran my fingers across the worn cover and looked up when I noticed that Vagabond had stopped eating.

          He stared back at me with a mystified expression. He tilted his head to the side as he looked between me and the copy of _Wuthering Heights_ in my hands.

          “You…” he breathed quietly. “You can read?”

          I simply nodded as I opened to the first page and sighed happily.

          “It’s been ages since I’ve had a good book to read,” I smiled. “Not much other than almanacs and bad romance novels make their way out here. That and it would look weird that a serving girl can read anything much less _Wuthering Heights_ , or _Anna Karenina_ , or _Frankenstein.”_

          Vagabond’s jaw dropped a little as I read off the titles of the other two books he had brought with him. His surprise and intrigue faded into light suspicion as he slowly took a bite from his roll.

          “And _you’re_ the one who was judgin’ me for being unexpected,” he murmured. “I knew something was off about you when I realized you were wearing a wig, but this just makes me wonder. _Who are you Firebrand?”_

          The moment he mentioned it, my hand flew up to my hairline, gently feeling it to make sure that the carefully hidden edges of my wig weren’t horribly obvious after a long day. I stared up at him in shock as I found no lifted sections and my heart raced in my chest. Vagabond set his empty bowl down and wiped his hands on his vest before leaning forward and expertly catching the edge I had hidden behind my ear and pulling the heavy red wig away from my scalp.

          “I’ve been to enough theater shows to recognize a wig,” he murmured as he held it up. “Even a good quality and well blended one.”

          I watched in frozen terror as he set it aside, careful not to let it tangle, and turned back to me so that he could start picking the pins out of my natural hair. Now I _really_ couldn’t run from him. The moment I step outside with my hair looking like this, I would have to skip town. No one could know what I was hiding.

          “Hmmm,” Vagabond hummed as he let the braids fall to my shoulders and tugged away the ribbons that held them together. “Blonde, almost silver hair. Eyes so grey that they’re almost white a snow. You can read and I’ve noticed your drawl slip a few times.”

          As he spoke, his own drawl fell like a curtain and I swallowed hard as he ran his fingers through my hair, pulling out my braids. Once he was done, he leaned forward and looked me in the eyes.

          “Now tell me,” he hissed. “What’s Margot Stenson doing here in a no name town in the middle of the New Mexico Territory?”


	2. Coming to An Agreement

          “If you know my name, you probably have a few good guesses,” I whispered back, fear keeping me from getting much louder.

          It wasn’t unheard of for criminals to dabble in bounty hunting, and it was an unspoken agreement that anyone who turned in a bounty wasn’t going to be arrested on sight. The Fakes were no exception and now that it was all laid out in front of me, I could see the sad truth. He may have saved me from the man downstairs, but the price on my head was more than enough to make up for the twenty-five it took for him to lock me in his room.

          “Funny thing about wanted posters,” he smirked. “They never list the crimes. Just the name, picture, price, and whether or not they need them alive.”

          “I’m runnin’ from my family,” I gulped.

          “Now why would you do that?” he hummed. “Heiress to a massive shipping company. Enough money to live a lavish life a thousand times over. Sounds like paradise to me.”

          “You’re one to talk,” I huffed. “Judging by your accent now that _your_ drawl has faded, you’re an educated man from the south. South Carolina or Georgia if I had to place you. Why are you out here when you could be back east with some rich aristocrat wife and all the money you could need?”

          The way his eyes darkened told me that I was right on the nose and that I wasn’t making him want to rethink turning me in for the two hundred and fifty dollar bounty.

          “I don’t have to tell you my intentions,” he growled. “But unless you tell me yours, I might not take pity on you and keep myself from marching you right down to a jail cell and a nice payday. I like you Firebrand, but you’re getting dangerously close to knowin’ too much about me and that bounty is lookin’ mighty nice.”

          “I’m not an heiress to a damned thing,” I snapped, begrudgingly giving in if it meant I could go free. “My older sister and her husband are the ones who are gonna get all that fortune. Even _if_ I hadn’t upset my father, my only shot at fortune was marrying into someone else’s family.”

          “What did you do to upset your daddy?” Vagabond pressed. “He the one who put the price on you?”

          “He is,” I grunted. “I wasn’t the one who needed to be trained to be the head of the family, so I was given free rein of the household. Once I got old enough I started to nose around in Dad’s files, I started to see just how corrupt he was. Killing laborers in hazardous conditions just so he can turn a higher profit. Buying out or threatening smaller companies into non-compete contracts. I knew too much and didn’t agree with him, so I was a threat that needed to be dealt with. He called off my arranged marriage and tried to kill me. So I ran.”

          Vagabond sat back in his chair and mulled over my story with an air of suspicion.

          “If you let me go, I’ll do anything you want me too,” I murmured. “I may be a little inexperienced, but I-”

          He held up his hand to stop me and leveled a very solemn look on me. My mouth snapped shut and I swallowed hard, waiting for him to tell me that he was taking me in.

          “I wasn’t gonna have sex with you in the first place,” he said with a shake of his head. “I’ve never been with a woman who didn’t want to be with me, and I sure as hell ain’t about to sleep with you in return for your freedom. You and I got a common past, and I understand the feeling of being the younger sibling with no hope of inheriting a few dollars let alone the fortune my older brother’s gettin’. As such, I’m not gonna turn you in. A pretty little thing like you doesn’t deserve to be treated like that for something so stupid.”

          I blinked dumbly at him, my head spinning from the turn of events.

          “You… You believe me?” I whispered.

          “You’re locked in a room with me,” he smirked. “I know exactly who you are and you’re totally at my mercy. You’re smart and wouldn’t lie to me when you’re as helpless as you are right now. That and I can tell when someone is lyin’ to my face.”

          I let out a shuddering breath as the fear and panic gave way to blissful happiness. I was so overjoyed, I threw myself into his chest and gave him a tight hug. He grunted as my weight hit him and the chair creaked from the force, but he rumbled with laughter and gently pat my back a few times.

          “How could I ever repay you?” I gasped. “I owe you for this Vagabond.”

          “Well, you could not charge me twenty-five dollars,” he chuckled. “You could also not tell anyone what I look like, but I think that goes without sayin’. You tell my secrets and I’ll tell yours.”

          I nodded as I sat back, my arms still around his shoulders as I looked over him.

          “I still owe you,” I murmured. “I’m not sure I could swing free meals or a free room for the week, and I certainly can’t afford either of those. I could see if any of the other girls are interested in you.”

          “I don’t want a workin’ girl,” he chuckled. “I’m here for a week Firebrand. I’m sure I’ll be able to come up with something. Now, finish getting ready for bed. If you don’t wanna keep your corset and skirts on I won’t get offended, but I also won’t get upset if you keep ‘em on.”

          And with that, he lifted me out of his lap and set me on my feet like I weighed nothing to him. He went around and blew out all but one of the various candles and lamps that lit the room before dressing down for bed himself. I looked down at my corset and skirts and considered my options. I didn’t have a penchant for decency either, but I was still a little embarrassed to take them off in front of a man. I may have given up my rich, upper-class lifestyle, but some things had been planted real deep in my brain.

          Eventually though, I decided that the idea of sleeping in that many layers was going to be the death of me and with nervous fingers I started to unlace my corset again and breathed a sigh of relief once it was off. I pulled my skirt and petticoat down and soon the chill of the night was nipping at me through my thin cotton shirt and bloomers. I was already blushing when I looked up from folding my clothes, but it spread across my face as I saw Vagabond hovering over his small stack of books.

          He had stripped down to a thin pair of cotton underwear that stopped just above his knees, but other than that he was fully exposed to me. I stood and stared in awe at the planes of his broad shoulders and back, all muscular enough that I now understood why he could move me around so effortlessly. He was covered in scars that all seemed like they had healed for the most part, like he hadn’t been injured in a while. I shook my head as he started to turn around and quickly set my clothes down in the chair that he had hung his own on.

          The bed frame creaked as he sat down and I heard him open one of his books. Again, I was struck by my view of him with a pair of glasses perched on the end of his nose and stretched out in bed. Only this time he was staring right back at me with a smug smirk on his face.

          “You really _haven’t_ done anything like this have you?” he hummed. “Not even as a young woman? You didn’t go sneaking around with all the rich boys where you’re from?”

          “There ain’t many men in St. Louis that weren’t already spoken for,” I huffed and cautiously stepped towards the bed. “Even the men I was betrothed to weren’t from the area and I never got to meet them in person. The ones that were out foolin’ around weren’t interested in me. Most of them made a beeline for my sister. I only had one or two encounters of the carnal kind before I was run off.”

          “And since then?” he pried.

          “A small handful I suppose,” I shrugged. “Nothin’ too raunchy. Just some wanderin’ hands and heavy pettin’.”

          Vagabond sighed and smiled at me with a shake of his head. I frowned and crossed my arms.

          “Oh yeah?” I huffed, garnering an eyebrow raise from the man in front of me. “I can’t imagine many women are tripping over themselves to get to you, so how experienced can _you_ be?”

          “Why do you want to know Firebrand?” he grinned.

          “Cuz you’re makin’ fun of me! Being a hypocrite isn’t very becoming of a gentleman.”

          “Whoever said I was a gentleman?” he rumbled and I fought to keep my breathing even and ignore the way my skin heated up under my clothes.

          “When I was still acting like a good upper-class citizen, I was popular with the ladies,” he smirked. “Never popular enough to stay with mind you, I was still the _third_ son after all, but I had the reputation for givin’ a girl a good time. The reality is this though: I’m not all that more experienced than you Firebrand. I can show a woman a good time, but I’ve never slept with them. At least not biblically.”

          I could tell by the way he chuckled that he could see the raging blush that had consumed my face and neck. Once he was content with my squirming, his eyes flicked back to his book and he settled into the headboard. My previous observation of the bed hadn’t accounted for Vagabond’s broad torso and I could feel the heat of my blush creep down to my chest. Of course, he sat in the middle of the bed and there wasn’t much room for me on either side of him.

          The silence was broken by a casual page turn and it sparked something inside of me. I took a deep, fortifying breath and crawled onto the bed. _Firebrand was a fitting nickname after all._

          His breath hitched and every muscle in Vagabond’s body tensed as I positioned myself between his legs and laid my head on his chest. He was so warm and I intentionally squirmed around like I was trying to get comfortable. I tilted my head up towards him and grinned as his racing heart pounded in my ear. His wide-eyed and stunned expression faded into a smirk and an amused head nod.

          “I knew you had it in you,” he chuckled, the sound reverberating through me as my eyes drifted shut.

          He readjusted himself so that he was in more of a horizontal position and I sighed as his steady breathing rocked me to sleep. Just as I was about to slip under, he lifted his free hand to turn the page and instead of resting it behind his head as he had been, it came down on my head and Vagabond absentmindedly started playing with my hair. He twirled sections around his fingers and the sudden alertness that had come from his unexpected touch quickly disappeared as he put me to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

          I woke up very warm and comfortable, but it wasn’t the rooster crowing outside that had pulled me from my deep, dreamless sleep. Vagabond’s hot breath blew across the top of my head, making a few strands tickle my forehead so I tipped my head forward to rub my face against something to stifle the tickling. I stopped my sleepy nuzzling the moment I realized the scratchy sensation I was feeling was from Vagabond’s scruff and waited for him to wake up because of my accidental affection.

          He stretched out and like a snake, his arms and legs coiled tighter around me as he moved. His arms were wrapped around my shoulders and waist and his legs were tangled into mine, and his movement only pulled me closer to him. My breath hitched as one of his knees came up between my legs and stopped once it couldn’t go any higher.

          A voice in the back of my mind told me that I needed to get up, but I was warm and I’d be lying if Vagabond’s embrace didn’t make me feel safe. So I closed my eyes and let my mind wander back towards sleep.

          The next time I woke up was because of the low grunt Vagabond let out as he stretched, this time while actually waking up. He let out a confused hum as he realized the position we had worked ourselves into, but he simply relaxed back into it as he waited for the haze of sleep to clear from his mind. His shallow breathes deepened and he slowly moved each of his limbs as he tested to see where exactly he ended and I started. When he got to the knee between my legs, his slow and firm movement made a truly embarrassing whimper come from me, my sleep-addled brain unprepared for the sudden wave of pleasure.

          A rumbling laugh reverberated through him and he sleepily nuzzled the top of my head.

          “Good morning Margot,” he hummed into my hair.

          “Mornin’ Vagabond,” I whispered back, silently willing him to not mention the sound he had just pulled from me.

          “Gotta say, this wasn’t how I pictured my morning when I brought you up here last night,” he chuckled. “Kinda assumed you’d make me sleep on the floor.”

          “To be honest,” I huffed sheepishly. “The thought never crossed my mind.”

          “Good,” he murmured. “I’d hate to think you felt forced to do this. An unwilling partner is no fun.”

          “I didn’t exactly do it intentionally either,” I giggled. “I woke up and we were already like this.”

          “But you didn’t try to move away,” he hissed and held me close for emphasis.

          “I’m comfortable,” I spat back quietly holding him closer too.

          “You got much to do today?” he mused. “Cuz I wouldn’t mind continuing to not move for a little while longer.”

          “I can’t very well say no to you, can I?” I teased.

          “I ain’t gonna force you to stay Margot,” he muttered sweetly.

          I was quiet for a while, focusing on the way his fingers gently kneaded my back like he didn’t know he was doing it.

          “I…” I started, but the words caught in my throat as the blush took over my cheeks. “I could come back again tonight.”

          The kneading stopped and his body stiffened a little as my offer struck him.

          “You know what Firebrand?” he hummed happily as he relaxed again and his hands returned to their idle movements.

          “I think I’d like that.”


	3. Options

          Surprisingly, the other girls didn’t try to interrogate me until after the dinner rush had started to calm down. I thought maybe, _just maybe,_ they were going to leave me alone about “sleeping” with Vagabond but as the four of them marched up to the bar where I was resting my feet, I couldn’t help but sigh and shake my head.

          “Don’t give me that,” Margaret huffed as they trapped me in. “You shared a room with Vagabond and lived to tell the tale. So, tell the tale.”

          “There ain’t much to tell,” I shrugged.

          “You lie!” Anna hissed, her thick brown curls bouncing as she leaned forward. “I saw the way you were smilin’ when you _finally_ came down. You ain’t walkin’ funny so he ain’t hung like a horse.”

          I choked on my own saliva and they laughed at my expense as I rubbed my face, trying to decide if I wanted to make up some grand lies or just bend the truth to sound more interesting.

          “No,” I sighed. “No, he ain’t hung like a horse. I was smilin’ because it was probably the best night of sleep I’ve had in a long while.”

          “I can’t imagine why,” Emma said wistfully as she twirled a strand of strawberry blond hair. “Sleepin’ that close to a man that big? Madman or not, you were probably the safest person in the entire territory.”

          I blushed as I remembered how I woke up.

          “I wouldn’t doubt that,” I murmured.

          “I was in the room a few doors down,” Alice frowned, her big brown eyes looking over me critically. “I didn’t hear _anything_ comin’ from your room, much less the sounds of pleasure. You expect me to believe that you’re the silent type? You ain’t never been the silent type the entire time I’ve known you, Maggie.”

          “He uh…” I stammered, but luckily my blush made it seem like I was just embarrassed and not fishing for an excuse. “He knows how to keep me quiet.”

          “No hickeys or bite marks?” she continued. “Man like that doesn’t strike me at the gentle lover kind.”

          “None that you can see.”

          My response was quick and haughty, but their eyes widened and fell to my skirts. Emma looked about ready to faint and the other three opened and closed their mouths like fish outta water.

          “He went down on you?” Emma breathed and looked like she was gonna need to spend some time alone with that thought as she fanned herself.

          “He paid money to please you? Not be pleased by you?” Margaret asked in disbelief.

          “He certainly seemed pleased,” I smirked.

          “Oh honey,” Alice huffed, the suspicion in her eyes now jealously. “You gotta tell us now. They say he’s got a silver tongue, but you mean to tell me that he uses it for more than just sassin’ the law?”

          “Hey! Red!”

          The shout from across the tavern broke saved me from having to come up with something to tide them off and I sighed with relief.

          “I’ll tell you later,” I winked.

          They all sighed and rolled their eyes before dispersing back into the room full of loose pocketed men and I returned to my rounds of refills and orders. A few hours later and I still hadn’t seen Vagabond come back to the tavern. He said he was going to go out and get a good look around, just in case he needed to make a hasty getaway, but I doubted there was _that_ much to look at. I knew my own escape routes, but he was a little more experienced in that area. I was waiting for the bartender to count out my tips when a familiar, and unwanted, voice whispered in my ear.

          “Hey there darlin’,” the lanky man from the night before cooed and it took all my might to keep my skin from crawling straight off my body.

          “You just don’t know when to quit do you?” I snapped. “I ain’t interested in you. Now buzz off!”

          “But I got your price,” he hummed as his lips came dangerously close to touching my neck.

          His hand gently set twenty-five dollars onto the counter and my stomach dropped. I must have looked as terrified as I felt because the bartender winced as the man’s other hand came up to my chest.

          “Now,” he whispered as his fingers started to push into my corset. “How ‘bout you show me some of that lovin’ that you gave Vagabond.”

          I was about to throw my elbow back into him when the tavern fell silent and the tell-tale click of a hammer being pulled next to my ear made me freeze. My head whipped towards the sound, and I was probably the only person in the world to be happy to be staring down the barrel of Vagabond’s loaded revolver.

          “You get your dirty hands off her,” Vagabond rumbled. “I already paid for another night with her.”

          With a flick of his gun hand, he motioned for the lanky man to step aside.

          “Who you callin’ dirty?” the man snapped and didn’t let go of me. “Just cuz I work like a _real man,_ don’t make me dirty. At least I don’t have _blood_ on my hands.”

          “And I’ll have more if you don’t listen to me,” Vagabond breathed, and I could feel the man swallow hard. “Now step away from my girl, or I’ll have to get messy.”

          Emma appeared in my line of sight and mouthed Vagabond’s words back to me with a raised eyebrow. I couldn’t exactly say or do anything in response, but I had heard him call me his girl too and the rest of the saloon looked just as intrigued as they looked scared out of their minds.

          “She ain’t your girl,” the man hissed but pulled his hand from my chest.

          “I bought her. She’s mine,” Vagabond shrugged. “And I ain’t one for sharin’ so you best let her go if you wanna live to see tomorrow.”

          After a moment of consideration, the lanky man decided not to call Vagabond’s bluff and he released me. Even if I wasn’t about to run into his arms, Vagabond grabbed my bicep roughly and pulled me to him. I wrapped one arm around his middle and let my head rest on his shoulder. When I looked up at him, he looked back at me with an obvious glimmer of irritation lighting up his eyes.

          “You gotta let me have her tomorrow,” the lanky man scowled as he pocketed his money.

          “I don’t gotta do anything for you,” Vagabond snapped, freehand sliding real low on my hip. “The only thing I gotta do is git my money’s worth from her and maybe repeat it all tomorrow night. I’m still tryin’ to see how I feel about ‘er.”

          “You can’t just monopolize her like that,” the lanky man shouted and blanched as the barrel was shoved into his nose.

          “Big words make me nervous,” Vagabond growled. “And my finger gets _real_ twitchy when I’m nervous.”

          A part of me wished that he would pull the trigger and get rid of him because big words made me nervous too. Especially when used correctly in a non-traditional way.

          “Y-yo- you can’t just hog all her time,” the man stammered, trying and failing to recover.

          “Watch me,” Vagabond rumbled.

          He carefully put the hammer of his revolver back into place and shoved it roughly into his holster before using his grip on my hip to spin me around and push me towards the stairs. I stumbled a little, genuinely surprised at the rough way that he was handling me but when I looked back at him I understood why. His eyes were dark with anger and even when he fixed his gaze on me, the burning hatred didn’t soften. I all but ran up the stairs, but he kept up with me even though he was still at a walking pace.

          The moment the door was closed and locked, he tugged his mask down and stepped up to me.

          “That bastard didn’t hurt you did he?”

          “No,” I said as I shook my head. “He just got a little too handsy. I can still feel his lips on my neck.”

          I instinctively rubbed the affected area as the sickening feeling returned and made my stomach churn. I could also feel his hand on my chest and my face must have turned green because the hard rage in Vagabond’s eyes softened a touch.

          “There’s something wrong about him,” the criminal growled as he started pacing the small room. “He used ‘monopolize’ correctly when he could hardly finish an entire word last night.”

          “I was thinking the same thing,” I muttered as I sat down on his bed. “But other than that he hasn’t done anything fishy. Why would he be comin’ for me like that? Do you think he kno-”

          I didn’t have to finish my thought because he stopped pacing and we stared at each other as it all came together in our heads.

          “How the hell could he know it’s me?” I hissed as if saying it out loud would bring the law to the door.

          “They’ve got your picture all over Primville,” Vagabond hummed grimly. “That’s how I picked you out. But they didn’t have a detailed description or anything so he would have had to go off your face alone unless he inquired about you like I did.”

          “But,” my hand tugged my wig off helplessly.

          “You’ve been made Margot,” Vagabond said sadly.

          “Only if he opens his mouth and tells someone,” I muttered. “If I can keep him from running his mouth, I can keep my cover.”

          Vagabond’s eyebrows slowly raised as I spoke and by the end of my sentence, I could have told him I was President Cleveland’s daughter and gotten the same look.

          “Just so we’re clear,” Vagabond said as he raised his hands in the air. “You’re talking about _killing_ him.”

          “It’s the only way to make sure he stays quiet,” I murmured and looked down at my hands.

          “I mean, I agree wholeheartedly,” he smirked. “I just wasn’t expecting you to be the one to suggest it. _I knew I liked you for a reason Firebrand.”_

          I couldn’t help but huff softly as I blushed, pulling my hair down and running my hands through it.

          “So,” I said quietly. “What are we going to do about this?”

          “Well,” Vagabond hummed as he sat down and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’ll make a big show of claiming you in the morning and hopefully buy us one more night before he _really_ gets desperate.”

          “You did pretty good tonight with ‘my girl’,” I teased, putting emphasis on his words so that he knew I wasn’t going to let that go any time soon.

          “Listen,” Vagabond smirked. “I was just trying to get him to back off. Everyone knows I get protective and possessive, so I played it up a bit. I’ll do it again tomorrow if I have to, then spend the day tailin’ him and tomorrow night we can make a plan.”

          “Okay,” I nodded.

          My nervousness must have been obvious because Vagabond smiled slyly as he laid back on his elbows

          “Now,” he smiled. “You gotta tell me what you told the other girls because they were all lookin’ at me like a blue-ribbon stallion. You tell ‘em I’m hung?”

          “No,” I giggled. “In fact, Anna was quick to notice that I wasn’t walking funny enough for you to be that well-endowed.”

          “Damn,” he sighed after clicking his tongue. “Woulda liked to see how far that rumor got out.”

          “I did kinda lead them to believe that you went down on me,” I shrugged.

          “You what?” he gasped, eyes twinkling with humor.

          “Alice noticed that you didn’t leave any marks on my neck and shoulders and she didn’t hear any sound from in here, so I just gave them vague responses. Told ‘em you knew how to keep me quiet and that you didn’t leave any marks where they could see.”

          “So they were sizing me up because they thought I could actually give them a good time?” He chuckled sadly. “Damn, now I feel bad. When the guys roll in, I might have to send them in their direction. I _know_ one of them could satisfy them.”

          “You couldn’t?” I teased.

          My eyebrows shot up as Vagabond blushed and refused to meet my gaze. He looked around the room nervously before licking his lips and speaking up.

          “I probably couldn’t,” he sighed. “That’s why none of the girls back home stuck around very long. I… I just never got the appeal of pleasing a woman like that.”

          “You’ve never fooled around with a woman before?”

          He eyed me wearily, trying to see if I was about to make fun of him or say something mean, but once he heard the sincerity in my voice and saw the look in my eyes he relaxed a little.

          “I have, but I didn’t really care for it. I’d much rather spend the evenin’ kissing and curled up in bed.”

          “Kinda like this morning?” I smirked, chuckling as he flushed.

          “Yeah,” he huffed. “Kinda like this morning. I… I’d much rather do that than get intimate like the other girls would want me to be. In fact, I’ve been lookin’ forward to tonight all day.”

          “Vagabond,” I crooned. “Are you tryin’ to tell me somethin’?”

          “I’m telling you that I enjoyed waking up to someone holding me as tightly as I was holding them,” he shrugged as he stood up suddenly, taking a defensive posture. “And I’m intrigued by you. You’re one of a kind, Margot. And that kind happens to be my kinda lady.”

          “You barely know me,” I sighed, trying to ignore the fuzzy feeling in my chest and fingertips as I followed his lead.

          “I beg to differ,” he said softly as he turned his back to me and started to get ready for bed. “You and I got a common past. Running from a family that was trying to control us. Taking off in the middle of the night to pursue freedoms we otherwise would have never gotten to experience. It takes a special person to look at a life of lavish comfort and prefer the wild lands of the West because at least out here we could live our own lives and not our parent’s ideas of a life.”

          “I guess you’re right,” I muttered. “Though you didn’t leave to save your own hide.”

          “No, but I do know what it’s like to live on the run. To live constantly looking over your shoulder for people trying to get your head for a decent payday.”

          I let his words settle in my brain like waiting for the dust to finish falling so I could get a good look at what had happened. I looked over at the man as he laid back in bed with his arms behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

          It did feel nice to find a kindred spirit that understood what it was like to leave my life behind. To run from everything I had known and start over. It felt nice to finally had someone to discuss literature with, and I smiled as I remembered the conversations we had this morning while we refused to untangle ourselves and get up. That was why I was smiling when I went down to start my shift. For the first time in nearly ten years, I didn’t have to hide a damned thing. The fuzzy feeling gnawed at me until I recognized it for what it truly was.

          I just might be developing feelings for Vagabond.

          “Why _did_ you run?” I asked as I sat on the edge of the bed.

          His eyes leveled on me and I swallowed hard as I tried not to squirm under his intense stare. I could feel him tense up as he looked me over before shrugging.

          “I’m the third son of an influential lawyer. I’d never see a penny of that fortune and I didn’t really want it. I went to school and was shaping up to be a professor at a university near where I’m from when I was betrothed to some little thing from across the country. She was barely sixteen and I was in my mid-twenties. I was told that I was gonna settle down with her or I would be cut off. So I ran. I would rather be out here wandering the desert than stuck at home with someone who would probably resent me for wasting her youth.”

          I laid down beside him and he watched me with hesitant eyes like he was afraid he had made a mistake in trusting me with this information. His arm curled around my shoulders to keep me from falling off the bed and the look in his eyes softened as his action forced me to lay my head in the crook of his arm. I ran my fingers across his chest as I let his story settle in my mind and wondered what that must have been like. I was nosey and poked around where I shouldn’t, but he had a life all planned out for himself and was forced to give it up one way or another. I was also young, barely nineteen when I ran, and the idea of being told what to do like that at his age made me sick.

          “Do you ever regret it?” I muttered.

          “No,” he replied immediately.

          The dim light of the moon bathed us in a silver glow and I felt every twitch of his hand as he forced himself to relax. I sighed and burrowed my face into his shoulder as he tugged the blanket over us. He rolled onto his side and gently tipped my chin up to look into his eyes. They sparkled in the moonlight and I felt the warm feeling return as I wrapped my arms around him.

          “Why on Earth do I trust you like this?” he smirked.

          “Because you know I can keep a secret. And ‘cuz you think I’m pretty.”

          His deep belly laugh was infectious and my cheeks hurt from my wide grin. After catching his breath and settling back down his smile stayed in place and his hand started to gently rub my back.

          “You _are_ beautiful,” he admitted with a hint of reluctance.

          “Sounds like you’re pulling teeth to get that one out,” I teased.

          “Don’t push your luck Firebrand,” he growled back with a smile.

          I giggled and pressed my forehead to his shoulder, tightening my grip on him as I did so. He let out a heavy sigh as he sank into me and wove his legs into mine.

          “Sleep well Margot,” he muttered into my hair.

          “Sleep well Vagabond.”


	4. Fuzzy Feelings

          True to his word, Vagabond made a big show of claiming me and it only kind of felt like an act. His hand felt comfortable on my waist and I didn’t mind being hauled into his lap every time I passed by him. The other girls were eyeballing us suspiciously for a bit but they stopped the moment he returned their gaze, clamming them up with his icy look. Lanky entered the saloon, clearly trying to get here early to scoop me up, but he slunk off to a table in the back the moment Vagabond pinned me to the bar so that he could quietly tell me that he was going to become scarce so that he could follow Lanky. His voice was soft and warm, but the way he was holding me was rough and hot as the midday sun.

          “You’re one hell of an actor,” I muttered back as his grip on my waist threatened to leave bruises that I wasn’t totally upset about. “I thought you didn’t want to fool around with women?”

          “I don’t,” he hummed and I could hear his smirk. “But I’ve been around enough men who do to copy them. Besides, I’d be lyin’ if I said I didn’t enjoy the way you’re reacting to this. There’s something satisfying about watching you get flustered.”

          I spun out of his grip to glare at him despite my flushed cheeks and was met with a teasing wink.

          “Blush looks good on you,” he rumbled. “See you ‘round Firebrand.”

          The rest of the day went by quietly. I ran around the saloon and avoided questions about Vagabond while trying to keep my head on my shoulders. We had become the talk of the town and while it did make me feel a little uncomfortable to be the center of attention, it was worth it if it meant I got to spend the night with him again. I hadn’t realized how lonely I was until he waltzed in and held me but now that the warm, fuzzy feeling persisted long after he left, I couldn’t ignore it.

          The sun had just gone down when the doors flew open and the stable boy stumbled in with a wild look in his eyes.

          “They’re here.”

          He didn’t have to specify who “they” were, and the saloon felt like a heavy blanket had been draped over it as the boy ran to alert the other establishments. The bartender started to hide his expensive stock and I saw him test the safe to make sure it was sealed tight. I made a quick round for orders and refills but for the most part, I seemed to be the only one who was unfazed by our imminent visitors and I was the only one who didn’t freeze when howling laughter sounded from outside.

          Everyone tried to act natural and ignore them as the doors swung open and the rest of the Fakes strutted to the empty, closed off table in the back, with Vagabond bringing up the rear of their little parade. He looked around the room as the others sat down and beckoned for me the moment we locked eyes. I turned my head to look at the barkeeper and he frantically motioned for me to go. I felt everyone in the saloon watching me from under their eyelashes as I walked over to the rambunctious group.

          “I’m tellin’ ya Geoff, we need to head farther west if we want more money,” the red-haired woman I knew to be Jack huffed.

          “I know Jack,” Geoff grumbled as he watched the tables around him empty. A few patrons were pale as death as they ran away, trying to get far enough away that they wouldn’t overhear something they shouldn’t and risk being shot.

          “Especially ‘cuz the bounty we’re here for is a bust like Vagabond says.”

          Vagabond watched me cautiously as I stopped in my tracks, afraid to enter the curtained off booth of outlaws. I saw Vagabond wince as I looked at him with hurt eyes and he gently nodded into the booth as he took a deep breath.

          I calmly sat down beside Geoff and Vagabond pinned me in as he sat down next to me.

          “So, you’re the wanted criminal that has our wanted criminal all flustered like a lovesick puppy,” Jack smirked as she leaned across the table.

          Vagabond was in the middle of putting his arm around my shoulders as she spoke and sighed heavily as he grumbled under his breath and let his arm fall around me.

          “What was that?” the curly haired man named Michael grinned as he leaned forward and tried to meet Vagabond’s averted eyes. “Were you about to argue that you aren’t smitten even though you just spent most of the day convincing us to let your pretty lady go free?”

          “Or the fact that his bloody arm is around her,” Gavin huffed, his accent jarring after years out west.

          I couldn’t help but smile as they teased him and I turned my head to watch him as he chewed on his cheek. I could see some red starting to peek out from behind his bandana and my smile spread into a wicked grin.

          There was a roll of soft laughter as he locked his arm around me and grumbled indignantly.

          “I get it,” Geoff said with a wave of his hand. “Vagabond found himself a woman with the cajones to stand up to him and it’s got him weak-kneed. We can live without the payday she woulda brought.”

          The man in question rolled his eyes as he loosened his grip on me but let his thumb caress my shoulder.

          “So what are we gonna do about that Lanky fuck that’s trying to scoop her up?” Michael asked.

          “I was hoping to kill him,” I shrugged and felt Vagabond bristle as their eyes widened.

          “And this is why I call her Firebrand,” he hummed happily in my ear.

          “You sure you don’t want to take her with us?” Jack grinned. “I sure would like another spunky lady in the crew.”

          “No.”

          Vagabond’s response was immediate and quite frankly a little shocking. I never assumed I would go with him, never even considered it, but hearing his resoluteness made my heart sink a little despite the tender way he squeezed my shoulder.

          “If she was going to run with us, we wouldn’t have to kill Lanky,” he continued as everyone’s eyes darted between the two of us. “But she’s staying here so that she can live somethin’ close to a normal life, and she can’t do that with him around causin’ trouble.”

          His words were true, but there was still something that made my heart feel odd. Suddenly his hand weighed a ton but I didn’t care because I never wanted it to leave. I felt warm and comfortable like I had never felt before. The conversation moved on around me as they started to formulate a plan to get Lanky somewhere secluded so that no one could hear the altercation, but I was only paying enough attention to barely absorb the information.

*~*~*~*~*

          Hours later we were in his room getting ready for bed when he gave me a hard look as he sat down on the bed.

          “What’s on your mind, Margot?”

          “I’m not totally sure,” I muttered back as I peeled my corset off. “My head’s all jumbled up I guess.”

          “Well, I’ll be gone the day after tomorrow, so maybe your brain will start to settle once the excitement has died down.”

          He reached out and gently took my hands, and for a moment he looked sad as he ran his thumbs over my knuckles.

          “I’m gonna miss you Firebrand,” he huffed quietly before shyly kissing the back of my hand. “I’ll never find a woman like you again. Do me a favor and stick around after we’re gone. I don’t expect you to wait for me or anything… It would just be nice to see you every once and awhile.”

          My heart sank at the prospect of him leaving and it made my body ache. His eyes glazed over as he watched his thumb travel across my hands and I knew he was feeling something similar to me. I watched a smile play on his lips and my heart fluttered at the sight. I may never come across a man like him again, and I was going to miss him and his companionship.

          I felt a deep longing start to warm my heart and I hesitated to act upon it. He was going away in a few days anyway, and we’d probably never see each other again, so why not grab the bull by the horns and make the most of it?

          He grunted with surprise as I grabbed his collar and pulled him in for a quick and forceful kiss. Vagabond’s eyes fluttered open as I pulled away and his eyebrows shot up in shock while he processed what just happened. After a moment though, I could see his content smile reflected in his eyes.

          “I like your spunk Firebrand,” he quietly teased. “But let me show you how it’s done.”

          I gasped as he pulled me onto the bed and hovered over me with a smile before biting his lip and kissing me deeply. He didn’t lay on top of me and the hand he wasn’t supporting himself on started to wander. My body lit up as he kissed me tenderly and his hand splayed out across my waist.

          There was no heady desire as his lips moved against mine, only a deep satisfaction that spread from him and into my body. I could feel his intent with every soft sigh he breathed between kisses. He shuddered as my hands came up his chest and tugged him closer to me. I pulled him off balance and he fell on top of me with a snort and a giggle that made my body feel light. We grinned into each other as he readjusted to wrap his arms around me before returning his lips to mine.

          He was going to be gone in a few days, but if I closed my eyes and focused hard enough, I bet I could lock this feeling away. Keep the sensation of his lips on the tender skin just below my jaw packed away in a corner of my mind so that I could open it up when I was lonely. Or the feeling of his hair and shirt clutched in my hands as he gently nuzzled a new section of skin before covering it with his warm mouth.

          The warm fuzzy feeling exploded and left me shivering as I took in everything I could, just so I could remember the _one_ person on this planet that cared for me.


	5. The Plan

          I fidgeted nervously with the hem of my corset as I paced around the abandoned barn outside of town. The desert air was cold and I pulled my capelet around my shoulders. I regretted not paying more attention to the plan, because maybe then I could have argued against going through with it before sunrise. Vagabond was able to get up and be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after our late night trading kisses, but I was not so lucky. Between my nerves and the lack of sleep, I wasn’t needing to act frazzled. Even the weight of my gun tucked into the back of my skirts wasn’t enough to settle me down. I was wondering just how long it would take for me to walk a rut into the dirt floor when I heard boots outside.

          I held my breath and waited for the person to peek in through the barn doors, feigning relief when Lanky’s face lit up as he saw me alone.

          “I was worried you wouldn’t come,” I whimpered as he strutted across the barn. “I haven’t been the nicest to you and I was worried you wouldn’t answer my message, but you’re the only one I can think of who would be willing to stand up to him.”

          “It’s going to be okay Maggie,” the man cooed, meaning to be soothing but only succeeding in making me want to throw up. “You came to the right man. I can keep you safe from him but first, where is he? We don’t want him sneaking up on us.”

          “He was asleep in bed when I left.”

          “Good, then we’re alone out here,” he huffed, smiling when I nodded.

          That’s when his act crumbled and I was honestly taken back by the evil grin he gave me. I took a few steps back instinctively and stumbled in a divot in the ground. His hand shot out and caught me before I could fall on my ass, but as soon as I was upright again his other hand grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled my wig right off. I hissed with pain as the glue clung to my flesh and I yelped when he yanked my hair out of the bun I had gathered it in.

          “Vagabond is somethin’ else,” Lanky sneered. “He thought he could get away with usin’ you for a few days and still be able to turn you in for the bounty.”

          “Let me go!” I shouted as I thrashed around.

          “You ain’t goin' anywhere Margot,” he grinned. “You’re mine now, all I gotta do is keep you here till I can turn you in.”

          He brought his hand up to strike me but froze after the near-simultaneous click of two different guns took him by surprise. I pulled my gun and had it shoved in his face while Vagabond loomed behind him with his gun casually pressed into Lanky’s shoulder.

          “I told you I don’t like to share,” Vagabond rumbled as he reached over and pried my arm from the man’s grip. “She ain’t yours to turn in. She’s mine.”

          “We can come to some kind of agreement,” Lanky said quickly. “You can keep eighty percent. I’ll walk away and never cross paths with you again.”

          “What part of no sharin’ did you not understand?”

          Lanky’s head snapped around as Geoff’s voice sounded from the loft. His eyes went wide as the smiling faces of the Fakes came into view from their hiding places. He looked at me and continued to pale as he saw that I was unafraid. Vagabond lowered his gun as the others backed us and he came around to gently wrap an arm around my waist.

          “Margot is mine,” Vagabond hummed affectionately but still darkly. “And I can’t have you running around knowin’ ‘bout her identity if I want to keep her around.”

          That was when Lanky decided to try something. His hand darted up and brushed my gun out of his face and turned to run. I stepped forward and fired a shot that echoed off the barn walls. Lanky clutched his chest as he skid to a stop and fell to his knees. I walked over to the shaking man, kicked him to the ground and rolled him over so that he was looking up at me.

          “You tell anyone why you’re here?” I asked as I pulled the hammer back.

          “No,” he croaked, wincing as blood flowed from between his lips.

          “Anyone else know I’m here?”

          “Not that I know of,” he sneered weakly.

          “Good.”

          I fired one more round into his heart and with one last gurgle, Lanky sank into the dirt. I sighed heavily before looking up at the Fakes, their faces ranging from shocked to impressed. Vagabond, on the other hand, was absolutely _glowing._

          “You really are one of a kind Firebrand,” he said and I could hear his wide grin.

          “You know I don’t like having to kill, right?” I asked as I walked back to him.

          “I know Firebrand,” he muttered as he pulled his mask down so that he could kiss the top of my head as he pulled me into a hug. “We’ll take care of him from here, you just go back to town and act like nothing ever happened.”

          He loosened his grip on me to let me walk away, but I didn’t move an inch. When I left this barn, I would leave him behind and never see him again. That was the plan. They clean up then run off into the desert to make it look like they just killed him for trying to take me. I would play the scared damsel back in town and let everyone believe that I just got caught between men being men.

          But as I took a fortifying breath, I was filled with Vagabond’s scent and I knew that I didn’t want him to go. He must have sensed my motives because he leaned down to whisper in my ear as he wrapped me in a tight hug.

          “I’m gonna miss you too Margot,” he said. “But I ain’t gonna uproot you for my own selfish needs. You deserve a nice life, and that ain’t gonna happen as an outlaw like me.”

          He pulled away far enough to cup my cheek and look me in the eyes. His cool blue gaze swam with sadness and resignation, but behind it all, I could see his resolution. He didn’t want to leave me either, but this was the only way we could both get what we wanted. He would maintain his freedom, and I would get another shot at normalcy, but at this moment I wondered if his companionship was better than a normal life.

          I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him, soft and chaste, before stepping away with a lump in my throat. I saw him sag slightly as the cool morning air replaced his warmth and I slid my gun back into my skirts. I pulled my cape closed around me as the world around us disappeared.

          “I’ll miss you,” I smiled sadly as the words I wanted to say caught in my throat.

          “I’ll miss you too Margot,” he smiled back.

          We each took a deep breath and I saw him pull his bandana up over his face before I ducked out of the barn and made my way back to the saloon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm going through a lot of life changes right now. I left my partner and am in the process of figuring out what to do with myself. Either I'm going to write more to keep myself sane or I'm going to disappear for a bit while I try to get my life back in order. I just wanted to warn you all before the latter happens and you wonder where I went. I'll see you all later! I hope the new year treats you well.


	6. Changing Course

          I locked the door behind me and slumped against the wall beside it. The whole town was in a frenzy and I was at the center of it. It didn’t take long for everyone to figure out what happened and it took half that time for everyone to come running to me for an explanation. I didn’t have to pretend to be flustered because between the attention and my mixed emotions about Vagabond, I was a mess. I managed to start the work day, but as more and more people flooded in to hear me tell my story again I started to feel sick. My body started to give out just after sundown and it must have shown because the bartender gave me the night off.

          I slowly made my way to my bed and sat in silence as I rubbed my temples. I was tired and more than anything I wanted to lay down.

_With Vagabond._

          I hissed at myself as the thought that had haunted me all day came back to me. I rolled my eyes and flopped onto my pillow, trying to push the ache in my chest that had been making it hard to breathe all day. But I couldn’t. I sighed and let it take over. I could feel his rumbling chuckle in my head and the phantom sensation of his hands on my waist made my skin tingle before I was overcome with anger.

          I shot up and threw my pillow across the room as tears fell down my cheeks. Of course, I loved the bastard. _Of course, I did._ Because _nothing_ could be normal for me, no matter how hard I tried. I tried to be a normal girl back in St. Louis, but it didn’t matter because I wasn’t my sister and I had no future unless I wanted to submit to some pompous ass. I tried to be a strong woman like my Aunt Elizabeth, but my independence led me into Dad’s study. I tried to settle out west and be normal, but the law was always on my tail. I fell in love with someone who swept me off my feet, but he’s a wanted criminal.

          I reached out blindly through my tears for a handkerchief to wipe my face with and grabbed a swatch of fabric with a scrap of paper pinned to it. I whimpered as I pulled the note from the black and white bandana.

_Wear this and remember me. And so no one will forget what happened to the last man to mess with my Firebrand. -V_

          I hung my head and ran my fingers across the spare bandana he had left behind for me. I wiped my eyes and sniffled. I wanted him here, but he couldn’t be in one place as long as I could. He was too well known to go into hiding and I knew the stagnation would drive him up the walls. The only way I could be with him long term was to wait here like some housewife waiting for her husband to return from war, or to go with him and the Fakes.

          I listened to the music and chatter that filtered from the saloon and it brought me no comfort. I had been found out, twice, and it was only a matter of time before someone else came for me. If I wasn’t so bent on being here for the next time Vagabond rolled through, I would have been packing up and ready to move on in an hour. But I wanted to see him again. I looked at the bandana in my hands and it brought me some sense of safety, but it would be no more than a flashy warning without him here to back it up.

          There was a gunshot in the saloon and my blood ran cold, body tensed and ready to run as I waited for someone to ask where Margot was. But instead the saloon exploded with hysterical laughter and I shook my head as I tried to relax. I needed to leave, I needed to run and find a new place to hide, but the weight in my hand kept me firmly planted in my bed.

          He hadn’t been gone more than twelve hours and I was already missing him terribly. He couldn’t have been more than forty miles away and I was longing for his company.

          The idea hit me like a freight train, and I wasn’t about to turn it down. I was on my feet and changing into jeans and my travel wear faster than my brain could follow. He was no more than forty miles away. I could easily run through the night and catch up to them in the morning. My horse was a little out of shape though, so maybe I could catch up by early afternoon. They had mentioned that they were heading towards Rock Valley in the west, so I knew where they were going or at the very least I knew where to start looking.

          It was time I stopped trying to be normal and do what I wanted, and I wanted to try to be with Vagabond. If it didn’t work, I could go back into hiding, but right now this room didn’t feel like home anymore and I needed to leave anyway.

          I was stuffing the last of my things in my duffle bag as a strong knock rattled my door. My head swiveled around, my tight braids smacking my cheeks as I froze like a startled deer.

          “Who is it?” I called out.

          “There are some men here to see you, Maggie,” the bartender said softly. “Some lawmen that wanna talk about what happened.”

          “I’ll be out in a moment. Let me get decent.”

          I hastily closed my bag and threw my hat on, not bothering to tuck my hair into it just yet. I needed to leave first, then I could worry about not looking like a woman on the run. I shrugged my bag on, tied Vagabond’s bandana around my wrist, and threw open the shutters so I could climb out the window. I slid to the ground just as an impatient knock sounded from the door.

          “Margot Stenson!” a gruff voice called out and silence fell. “We know you’re in there and you’re under arrest for the murder of a Texas Marshal and aiding known criminals!”

          I bolted and turned the corner just as the sound of shattering wood started a panic in the saloon. My horse huffed indignantly as I frantically mounted him and tried to pull him straight from his nap and into a gallop.

          “I’m sorry Elliot,” I cooed as he sluggishly turned. “But we need to go _now.”_

          The bullet that flew by and punched a hole in the water trough got him to move and I clung to the reins as he reared up and broke into a gallop out of town. I didn’t dare look back to see if I was being followed. I just pointed Elliot westward and took off into the night.


	7. Catching Up

        The room fell quiet as I passed through the front doors of the seediest saloon in Flagstaff. I sauntered over to the bar and set my hat on the scarred wooden surface, hunks gouged out of it from stray bullets and knives. My hair fell across my shoulders, the ribbons I used to keep them in braids long gone after being washed downriver after a quick bath. I needed to clean the dust off me after nearly ten days of travel, following the Fakes’ trail into the Arizona Territory.

        I ordered a whiskey and whatever food they had on hand. I was so used to my rations that even the watery soup was a welcome meal. I could feel the eyes boring holes into my back as I ate, but I had stopped caring about keeping myself hidden almost a week ago when I arrived in a small town outside of Albuquerque and saw my name and face alongside my new aliases, “Firebrand” and “Maggie”. The Marshalls had squeezed every drop of information out of Aurasberg, and now there was no hiding. My face was plastered right next to every poster of Vagabond that could be found. I wasn’t just a diamond in the rough for bounty hunters. I was wanted by my father, and by the law.

        I gave the bartender a dry look as he attempted to casually lean in close so that he could whisper to me.

        “I’m assumin’ yer lookin’ for the big guy?”

        “Yes,” I huffed loudly. “I’m lookin’ for Vagabond or any of the other Fakes. You know anything about them?”

        The barkeep nearly jumped out of his skin as I spoke loud enough for the rest of the saloon to hear. I turned my head to look at everyone else in the room, most of them not looking at my face but at the bandana around my neck.

        “They came through here not too long ago,” One man across the room said. “No more than a day or two if I had to guess.”

        “Anyone hear where they was headin’?” I continued.

        “West.”

        Judging by the low hum of short laughter that followed, I was being messed with, and I was at the end of my rope with being teased and taunted. I knew better than to pull a gun in here, each and every person in this saloon was leaps and bounds ahead of me on the scale of criminals and I was still needing to break out of my nickname.

        “That’s right,” I laughed ruefully. “Go ahead. Keep makin’ fun of the Vagabond’s Whore. I can take it.”

        “You think you’re big and bad ‘cuz he put his cock in ya a couple times?” a voice called out from the back and more laughter followed.

        “No,” I grunted as I rolled my eyes.

        “Pretty little thing probably didn’t know what to do with a man like him,” one of the working girls grinned. “Spoiled brat was bored of the limp aristocrats and ran for bigger prospects not knowing what she was getting into.”

        More laughter and I could feel my blood start to simmer. I slammed back the last of my drink and turned in my chair to face the others, motioning for them to continue.

        “You ain’t nothin’!” a man in front of me spat, cutting straight to the quick. “You killed one man with the help of the Fakes but it’s going to take more to impress us Lass. You’re nothing but the Vagabond’s bed warmer with a little blood on your hands.”

        “I ain’t trying to impress you,” I snapped and the room was littered with giggles. “I’m trying to find Vagabond. I have something I need to tell him-”

        “And you wanna lay on your back.”

        “I ain’t no whore!”

        The room fell quiet and all eyes were on me as I snarled at everyone.

        “Yeah! I slept with Vagabond,” I continued. “But it wasn’t ‘cuz I needed him, and it sure as hell wasn’t ‘cuz I wanted to use it as some kind of status symbol. Now if y’all would stop being busybodies who would believe anything that was whispered to ya, I would appreciate some straight damn answers!”

        The barkeep coughed quietly as the silence continued to settle around us and everyone averted their eyes from me.

        “They went to a nearby town for a small bank. They said they’d be back through here after they were done.”

        “I heard about the bank being hit from a few travelers I was pickpocketing,” another man spoke up. “If It was the Fakes, they should be back in town sometime tonight or tomorrow.”

        “Thank you,” I said shortly as I tossed a quarter at the barkeep. “You got a room I can use, or know of any places that would?”

        “I’m full Miss Stenson,” the man stammered. “But the inn next door is a safe place for criminals. I know the Fakes like to stay there too.”

        I gave the man a short nod of gratitude and left the saloon with a hard glare that made a few people duck their heads. I wished that was the first time I had to put an entire room full of people in their place, but this had been the same response since I left Aurasberg. I was nothing more than a gutsy whore who got a big head after wooing Vagabond. It made my skin crawl but I was used to being disrespected. It was hard for a woman out west. No matter how hard she tired, someone was gonna take everything she had done and make it a man’s accomplishment.

        I paid for my room and told the man at the desk to tell the Fakes where I was if they walked in. My bag hit the floor with a heavy thud and a puff of dust and I sighed with relief as I peeled off my clothes. I nearly cried when I saw a bathtub and ran myself a hot bath. I slipped into my cleanest nightgown and filled the tub again, this time to properly wash my clothes. Once they were hanging to dry, I sat down and pulled out a small ornate box that I had taken the night I ran. Inside it was a few scraps of paper with my mother’s and my sister’s elegant script scrawled across it, a few of my favorite pieces of jewelry, and a handful of faded photographs. One or two of me and my sister, Claudette, one of my Ma holding me when I was a baby, and two headshots of the men I had been betrothed to. It was one photo in particular that I had been pulling out of the bunch for the last week.

        I shook my head as I set aside the photo of my last fiancé, a short and stout man from Alabama with a plot of land that my father wanted to banish me to when I started to get too independent. The first one was the one that intrigued me. This was the man I had been betrothed to just after I turned sixteen, and I remembered how terrified I was of being offered up to a man his age. He was very handsome, a thin but muscular man with a thick head of hair and intense eyes, but I had seen Claudette’s friends get married off young and I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to be nothing but a status symbol and a baby factory for some man nearly a decade my senior, and I was afraid of becoming like my mother. In an arranged marriage completely void of love. When we got the letter from the man’s family stating that he had decided to go with other prospects, it was hard for me to pretend to be upset.

        It was this first man that I wanted to look at, because I couldn’t believe my eyes no matter how long I stared at it. The photo was black and white, but the lightness of the young man’s hair and eyes were enough to give it away to me even if I hadn’t become very familiar with his jawline. I shook my head as his eyes looked back at me, but they were lacking the emotion I was expecting to see in them. His hair was barely past his ears and he was clean shaven and it was a little odd to see him like that, but most of all I was perturbed by the stony expression. I flipped the photo over and read his name for the thousandth time.

_James Ryan Haywood_


	8. Reunited

          It was late when the thunder of hooves roused me from my sleep. I shot out of bed, already back in my travel clothes, and looked out the window to see five riders stop outside the hotel. All it took was a flash of red hair and a squawk as one of them slipped off his horse too fast and I knew it was them. I also knew Vagabond wasn’t there with them. I took the stairs two at a time and entered the lobby as the desk worker was leaning over and whispering to Geoff. He broke into a wide grin as the others started to whoop and holler at me despite being told to be quiet.

          “Speak of the devil!” Geoff laughed before scooping me into a hug. “Finally caught up with us I see. ‘Bout damn time too! If I had to hear the bastard complain about moving on too quick for you to keep up one more time, I was gonna tie him up and leave him on the trail for you or the coyotes to find.”

          “Let’s move this somewhere a little more private,” Jack said softly as she nodded towards a few patrons who were glaring at us from their doors. “We got a little time before he catches up anyway. May as well continue the celebration upstairs.”

          “Where did you leave him?” I asked as Geoff tucked me under his arm and led me upstairs.

          “We got separated when the local sheriff got the balls to actually follow us with some backup,” the man shrugged as we all piled into the small room. “Nothing we haven’t done before. Now, you gotta tell us what happened after we left. We got to Albuquerque and your posters were all over the place. We had been gone no more than a day or two and suddenly the entire world knew you was seeing Vagabond.”

          I settled in the desk chair as everyone else laid out on their sleeping bags and looked up at me like I was about to tell them a bedtime story.

          “Ain’t much to tell,” I shrugged. “Turns out Lanky was an undercover Marshall who came into town specifically for you guys but decided to pick up the extra cash from my bounty. His backup came in the night you left and stormed the saloon lookin’ for me, but I was already dressed to leave so I booked it outta town and have been followin’ you ever since.”

          “Why was you already out the door?” Jack grinned slyly.

          Similar grins spread around the room as I chewed on my cheek and tried to suppress my blush. Geoff kicked the leg of my chair and when I turned to look at him, he gave me a gentle wink.

          “Say it, Margot,” he hissed. “Tell us why you left your cozy corner of nowhere and followed us.”

          “And don’t say you was leavin’ ‘cuz ‘o the law,” Jeremy huffed. “You said yourself you was halfway out the door by the time they made themselves known.”

          “I think I love him,” I muttered under my breath.

          “Speak up _Firebrand,”_ Michael said as he cupped his ear. “I’m not sure I heard you clearly.”

          “I think I love him,” I snapped back.

          My face exploded with heat as they all cheered and Michael and Jack exchanged some money.

          “Told you she wasn’t just interested in the adventure,” Jack smirked as Michael rolled his eyes. “I can tell when a woman is smitten, and besides, she’s got him all in a tizzy too.”

          “Oh?” I hummed, eager to shift the focus away from me.

          “Oh yeah,” Geoff snorted. “The moment we caught wind you were followin’ us, he’s been dragging his feet so that you could catch up faster. Damn near had a conniption when we took the train.”

          “He’s wild about ya’ lass,” Jeremy grinned. “He hates hearin’ er’yone call ya’ his whore. It’ll be a huge weight off his shoulders once he sees ya’.”

          “I can fend for myself,” I said indignantly.

          “Oh we know you can,” Jack smiled. “We’ve been picking up tales of when you were on your own after Aurasberg. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him as happy as he was when he heard about your shoot out near Fort Defiance. What Jeremy means is that he’s gonna finally relax a bit when he sees you with us. He’s been on edge ‘cuz he doesn’t want the law to catch you before he can.”

          “Is it true that you killed five men at the Fort?” Michael asked.

          “They weren’t dead when I left,” I huffed. “Or at least three of them weren’t.”

          “Thought you didn’t like killin’?” Jack hummed.

          “I didn’t like it ‘cuz it brought too much attention, especially when it was lawmen. I can’t hide no more and they were shootin’ at me as well as hurtin’ the Navajo I was stayin’ with.”

          “He’d practically be purrin’ if he was here,” Geoff smiled.

          “There are other outlaw women out there,” I said with an eye roll. “I find it hard to believe that he’s never met any of ‘em in the years y’all been out here causin’ trouble.”

          “Oh he’s met them, but the moment they find out he don’t wanna tie ‘em to his bed and make ‘em scream they’re gone,” Jeremy frowned.

          “It’s been a long while since he’s made a move on a lady because he knows any woman who wants to sleep with Vagabond is gonna wanna _sleep_ with Vagabond,” Geoff said with a shake of his head.

          I couldn’t help but frown as well as I thought about the way his eyes sparkled the morning he left. I just thought it was because he had a pretty woman in his arms, but with the way the Fakes were talking I was getting the sinking feeling that it was because I was still there and not disappointed.

          “He talks about you like you’re a damn unicorn,” Gavin chuckled. “Like it was a miracle that you were even cooperating with him, much less makin’ eyes back at him.”

          “He won’t say it, but I think he might love you too,” Jack smiled sweetly. “I ain’t never seen him interested in anyone. He’s made doe eyes at waitresses before, but he’s never gotten hung up on ‘em.”

          “You should stay in here with us tonight,” Geoff smiled as he suppressed a yawn. “It’ll be the best thing that’s ever happened to him to see you curled up in his blankets.”

          “Specially after the night he’s had,” Michael huffed. “That bank was a bitch to get into.”

          I quietly excused myself so that I could go grab my things from my room as they started discussing what went wrong with their heist and when I returned they were all laying in their beds and talking about what they were going to do next. I laid my things down at the foot of the only open sleeping bag and quietly curled up under the covers. It wasn’t long before their voices faded into snoring but I was wide awake now that I knew Ryan was on his way here.

          I don’t know how long I stared at the backs of my eyelids, but I was starting to drift off when I heard the door open and shut gently.

          “Welcome back,” Geoff’s groggy voice called out from the bed. “Didn’t give you too much trouble did they?”

          “Nah,” Ryan muttered back as he carefully stepped through the dark maze of sleeping Fakes. “Just had to run far and long enough to make them change their minds.”

          “Well, while you were out playing with the sheriff, we got you a surprise,” Geoff hummed, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “Now you can stop your complaining.”

          “What the hell are you talking about?” Ryan huffed as he knelt behind me and made a grab from his blanket.

          I could hear his body tense up as he grabbed my arm on accident and I just looked over my shoulder at him as Geoff and Jack started to giggle. It was too dark in the room for me to see anything more than his outline, and I was sure he could see even less.

          “Just get under the covers,” I ordered quietly. “I was alm-”

          The moment he heard my voice he threw the blanket off me and was on top of me. I squeaked and giggled into his arm as he wrapped me in a tight hug and buried his face into my hair. His legs slowly wound around mine and I sighed as he pulled the blanket over the two of us. After a few moments of tight squeezing his arms relaxed, and I was allowed to get comfortable in his arms.

          “Now I don't have to listen to you complain about us movin' on too fast.”

          He sighed heavily as a few more giggles filled the room, but I could feel him smile as he nuzzled my cheek. He opened his mouth to say something back but shook his head instead.

          “Sleep now,” he grumbled in my ear and the sound gave me chills. “We can catch up tomorrow.”

          I was starting to drift off again, but just before I slipped under I felt a soft kiss be pressed to my cheek.


	9. Home

          I awoke to a heavy boot landing next to my head and some soft swearing as I nearly jumped out of my skin. My eyes shot open and I squinted into the sunrise tinted darkness while Ryan grumbled in his sleep and clung to me even tighter as I blinked up at the figure who was looking down at me.

          “Sorry darlin’,” Geoff whispered. “I forgot you ain’t used to us stompin’ around. You go back to sleep, we’re just gonna go check out the town while he catches up on his rest.”  

          I grunted softly in acknowledgment and drifted back to sleep as I heard the door lock behind them. The next thing I knew, the sun was peeking through the shutters and leaving a streak of pleasant warmth across my cheek. My pillow shifted and I felt calloused but gentle fingers brush my hair behind my ear. I sighed as my pillow moved again and I felt Ryan’s bicep flex as he sat up a bit.

          “Mornin’,” he muttered, his voice gruff with drowsiness.

          I huffed in response as I stretched the sleep out of my limbs. My groan was cut off into a surprised squeak as a chaste kiss was pressed to my temple. Ryan’s soft chuckle made me grin and I sighed as I opened my eyes and saw a very sleepy Vagabond.

          He smiled back and we laid there in silence, waking up and taking each other in as we basked in the morning sunbeams.

          “How long have you been in town?” he whispered.

          “I got here late yesterday afternoon,” I muttered back.

          “Anyone hassle you?”

          “I’ve been hassled since the day I left Aurasberg,” I laughed shortly. “The entire tavern next door was eager to sling mud at me yesterday.”

          He let out a discontented grunt and I gave him a crooked smile as his face fell a bit.

          “I can take the slander,” I reassured him.

          “I still don’t like it,” he frowned and a spark of anger glimmered in his eyes. “You aren’t a whore and you aren’t just some doxie who thinks she can keep up with us ‘cuz you slept with me.”

          “You don’t have to tell me this,” I smirked.

          “I know. I just,” he sighed heavily. “I just hate hearin’ them talk about you like that.”

          “We’ll just have to prove them wrong.”

          “And how will we do that?” he grinned as he rolled me onto my back and loomed over me. “You haven’t run with us before. You don’t know the first thing about robbin’ banks. Though, from what I’ve heard, you got a pretty good grasp on the runnin’ and shootin’ aspects.”

          “I’m a fast learner,” I spit back.

          “I bet you are Firebrand.”

          I was in the middle of a giggle when his nose brushed mine and I sucked in a lungful of air before I was silenced with a kiss. My toes curled and ten days of stress melted out of me as my hands came up to hold his collar. I held him close for more kisses, not that he was making any attempts to back away, and I could feel his heartbeat against my hands, matching pace with my own until he pulled away and I felt it skip a beat as he looked down at me.

          “I missed you, Margot.”

          “I missed you too, Ryan.”

          It came out of my mouth as if I had always said it, and for a fraction of a second he bristled with pleasure at the sound of his name, but then he tensed up and turned to stone. My heartbeat raced as a dark shadow fell across his face and a wall cut his emotions off from me. The distrust in his eyes made my chest ache.

          “How do you know my name?”

          His voice was low and threatening and for the first time since I met him, I felt like I was locked in a cage with a lion. His arms locked around me, pinning me between him and the floor as he waited for my response.

          “I… I…”

          The words caught in my throat and I started to shake as fear took my heart. Even when he was considering turning me on that first night, he didn’t regard me so coolly and even though I could feel tears forming in the corners of my cheeks, I understood why. He had gone more than a decade only hearing his name from those he had trusted with it. To hear it from anyone else meant that they knew who he was, and that wasn’t something that he wanted to be floating around.

          “I can explain,” I said weakly as I fought through the fear. “Just let me get to my bag and I can explain.”

          Even the world outside seemed to freeze as he considered my offer and I didn’t breathe again until he nodded shortly and sat up. I scrambled for the box of keepsakes and handed him the photograph.

          “I was going through my stuff the night I left Aurasberg,” I said as he plucked the picture from my trembling hand. “And I kept the photos of my suitors because I like to remind myself about the bullets I dodged.”

          The stony expression fell from his face and was replaced by pure shock as he looked at himself, turning it over and reading his own name as if he couldn’t believe it. My fear started to ebb as his dark aura faded and his mouth opened and closed uselessly. After a few moments of silence, his eyes closed and he turned his head away from me.

          “I…” he sighed and when he looked up at me, he looked sad. “I’m sorry I scared you Margot. I just… I hadn’t told you ‘cuz everything happened so fast and I thought it was too good to be true. You said my name and I thought…”

          “I understand,” I said as he trailed off. “I thought all this was too good to be true all the way until our last night together. I’m not going to turn on you.”

          I scooted to his side and cautiously leaned against him as he stared at his younger self.

          “And I’m not gonna try to drag you back to Georgia,” I whispered, smiling when I got a small huff of laughter. “Neither of us belong back home. We’d drive ourselves up the wall due to boredom.”

          “I’d be an even bigger black sheep than before I left,” he smirked sadly. “God. I thought your face rung a bell. I thought it was just the wanted posters.”

          “I’ve done some growing since then.”

          “I’ll say. You’re a far cry from the sixteen-year-old that I was worried I would disappoint,” he smiled slyly and shot me a look. “‘Dodged a bullet’ huh?”

_“Listen,”_ I hissed as he wrapped an arm around my waist. “I had seen Claude’s friends get married off and I didn’t want to be some baby machine to an older man who was more concerned about his families status and legacy.”

          Ryan cringed and turned green for a moment as I spoke. He let out a heavy sigh before kissing the side of my head.

          “I couldn’t do that to anyone, much less you,” he muttered into my hair. “I know I told you I ran because they told me to settle, but the truth is that I was scared too. I didn’t want to be in a one-sided relationship because my own wife hated me because I couldn’t ‘love her right’.”

          The sounds of birds returned again and I started to sink into Ryan’s side as he gently caressed my side and occasionally kissed my cheek. His heartbeat was steady and relaxing and for a brief moment, I thought I could go home and deal with the aristocracy, as long as it was with him.

          “It’s okay,” I muttered as he sighed. “I think you love me just fine.”

          It was very forward and would have sent any man back home a running, but I felt him break into a wide grin before scooping me up into a tight hug. I laughed as he buried his face into my shoulder.

          “You certainly do it better than anyone else ever has.”

          He pulled away and looked up at me with bright blue eyes and I bit my lip as the warm and fuzzy feeling returned. I gently brushed some of his sandy blond hair back behind his ear and his smile reflected the brightness in his eyes.

          “You’re an incredible woman, Margot. I’m glad I can’t seem to escape you.”

          My eyes fluttered shut as I leaned forward and hung onto his shoulders as the morning was once again silent except for the breakfast traffic on the street outside and our lips occasionally parting just long enough for affirmations of love.

          The fuzzy feeling exploded in my chest like blowing on a dandelion and as the seeds settled, my body felt warm and the rest of the world disappeared. There was no bounty. No lawmen. No families. Just me and Ryan, sitting on the floor of a dusty hotel in the middle of the desert, finally finding a place to call home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've started posting these on my Tumblr. I'm really new to fanfiction on Tumblr, so feel free to message me with tag tips and stuff. Or just shoot me an ask as a comment if you don't have an account on [here](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/noelenough).


	10. All Over the Map

          I readjusted my hat as the afternoon sun beat down on my face. Elliot huffed and shook his head, causing some flies to scatter out of his mane and disappear into the desert. I was a little surprised at how quiet it was considering the ruckus the Fakes usually made when they arrived somewhere.

          Ryan rode quietly to my left, occasionally drifting into his own thoughts long enough to start drumming his fingers to the beat of an unheard tune. I recognized a Mozart piece, but the rest weren’t familiar to me. Jeremy was on my left, eyes closed and rocking to match his horses’ pace. I couldn’t tell if he was asleep or just resting his eyes from the sun.

          Michael and Gavin were behind us, equally silent and twice as suspicious given their reputation to be the loudest and rowdiest two of the bunch, especially when together. Jack and Geoff were in front and keeping an eye on the horizon for trouble. The only thing that tipped me off to something fishy was the glances they would cast over their shoulders at the rest of the party and Gavin’s occasional inhale as if he were going to speak, only to loudly clamp his mouth shut.

          “Y’all usually this quiet or is somethin’ up?” I huffed in exasperation after a few hours of silence.

          The tension in the air became thick enough that I raised my eyebrows and cast a glance over to Ryan, who also looked around like he was just as lost as me.

          “Somethin’s up,” he said slowly as excited glances where cast everywhere. “I wasn’t goin’ to say anything because the quiet was a nice change of pace.”

          “We don’t know how much she knows,” Geoff said after clearing his throat. “So while we was out and you was cuddlin’ we decided it was best that we keep quiet until we got an idea of what you’ve told her.”

          “Kinda figured she’d start askin’ questions,” Jack giggled. “But turns out that rich girl upbringin’ run a little too deep, huh Margot?”

          “What?” Jeremy asked as he frowned at my sour expression. “What’s her being fancy got to do with this?”

          “Women in wealthy families are taught to keep quiet,” Ryan sighed heavily. “Loud women are seen as uncontrollable, uncouth, and undesirable.”

          “Recited like a true rich boy,” I grumbled and cast a look his way.

          I squeaked and giggled as he kicked out towards me and left a bootprint on my calf. I kicked back at him and left a streak of dust across his black jeans, but he reached out and grabbed my ankle, pulling me into an awkward position and making Elliot snort with irritation as I pulled on his reins. There was a sudden burst of laughter from the others as Ryan grinned mischievously at me.

          “Listen here, you little Mississippi Mud Princess-“

_“Mud Princess?”_ I snapped back through a smile. “Haven’t heard that one in a while and I _refuse_ to let some Old Money pretty boy get away with it.”

          I rolled my leg out of his grip, swung myself so that I was sitting side-saddle, gripped the edges as hard as I could, and kicked Ryan square in his half turned chest. The desert erupted with howling laughter as Ryan fell backward with a stunned look on his face. He hit the ground with a heavy thud and tears streamed down my face as he scrambled to his feet. Their horses must have been used to such rowdiness because Ryan’s horse simply huffed and whipped it’s tail once and the others looked completely unfazed as a very dusty and very red Vagabond ran to catch up with the advancing group.

          The moment I realized he wasn’t going to remount his horse, I spun around to kick Elliot into a trot, but before I could get my feet hooked in the stirrups I felt hands wrap around my thigh. I squealed as I clung to the saddle, but once Ryan had his hands around my waist I knew it was no use and let go.

          The others stopped and started cheering as if this were a bar fight. I dug my nails into his arm as he lifted me off my feet and attempted to throw me over his shoulder, but I threw my weight and tumbled to the ground. My cheeks were hurting from grinning so much but I spun around and crouched low as he sized me up.

          “Okay you two,” Geoff said between laughs. “Let’s get movin’. You two can wrestle and figure out which high-class brat is best when we settle down for the night. I would like to reach the Grand Canyon by nightfall.”

          I brushed myself off and made to move towards Elliot when a broad, black and blue chest blocked my way. I looked up at Ryan from under my lashes, expecting to see him still riled up, but was surprised by the gentle smile.

          “I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked, eyes rolling slightly as Gavin cooed at his softness.

          “Hurt _her?”_ Michael snorted. “Boy, she must have knocked your brain loose when she _kicked_ you off your _horse.”_

          “I’m fine,” I smiled as I stood on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “You okay?”

          “My ass is gonna be a little more sore than normal, but I’ll live,” he muttered back before mounting his horse.

          I pulled myself back into the saddle and conversations started up as Ryan filled them in on what I knew.

          “So, let me get this straight” Jack smiled playfully and pointed to Ryan. “You ran away from home because you didn’t want to be trapped in a marriage with a little girl, and you ran from home because you stuck your nose into your Daddy’s business?”

          “I ran from home because I learned too much,” I nodded.

          “You know damn well why I ran,” Ryan said pointedly.

          “Oh?” I hummed as Jack sighed sadly. “You know each other prior to this shindig?”

          “Geoff and I were circus performers when we met Ryan,” Jack nodded. “We toured all over the South and, as it is no surprise, the wealthy like nothing more than to hear their own voices and gossip.”

          “I’m surprised your parents didn’t already know about Ryan’s… _issue,”_ Geoff said cautiously, but Ryan’s eyes still fell. “Ryan’s way with the ladies was legendary… His _‘shortcoming’_ was infamous.”

          Ryan stared down at the pommel of his saddle with a faraway look. I reached out and took his hand, pulling him out of his head and putting a small smile on his face.

          “So when word got out that the Haywood boy had run away to avoid a lady, we were only slightly surprised when a suspiciously clean young man wanted to join the circus while we were in Savannah,” Geoff smirked.

          “Dyed his hair black with coal powder, stole some basic lookin’ clothes, but kept the rest of himself squeaky clean,” Jack giggled. “You had one hell of a time workin’ the education out of your voice so you could fit in.”

          “And they just let you?” I asked.

          “I mean, there was a lot of arguing goin’ on,” Jack shrugged. “Some people were thinking his family would send people after him and thought we’d get locked up for kidnappin’ or somthin’.”

          “But it didn’t matter for long,” Geoff smiled. “Then we ran into the young’ns and started this little rowdy bunch.”

          “Where are you from?” I asked as I turned to Jeremy.

          “Dublin originally,” he said proudly. “My family crossed over when I was ‘bout five and we lived in Boston for a long while. I grew up and left home lookin’ fer better prospects an’ ended up here.”

          “I tagged along somewhere in there,” Michael said with a shrug. “Born and raised in New Jersey. Got tired of that shithole and hopped on a train headin’ anywhere but north. Ran into Jeremy somewhere near Richmond. Got into a bar fight and I helped him from getting’ his ass handed to him.”

          “And what about you Gavin?” I asked as I turned to look at him. “How did a fancy Brit like yourself end up out here with these guys?”

          “I’m kinda like Ryan,” Gavin said. “I’m the youngest of five boys and had no hope of inheriting buggar all, so I came to America to set out on my own. I wasn’t anticipatin’ there to still be hostility towards the British, though I can’t say I’m _too_ surprised, and I couldn’t get my footin’ anywhere. Jeremy and Michael picked me up outside of Atlanta because I could read the jobs board.”

          “I can read,” the two men said indignantly.

          “Just not well,” Jeremy added bashfully.

          “So an Irishman, a Jersey ruffian, a lost Brit, a runaway Southern aristocrat, and two circus performers happened across each other and agreed to start one of the most notorious group of bandits in the West?” I laughed.

          “There were some steps in between,” Ryan smirked.

          “Yeah, we tried to open a bar in Denver,” Michael giggled.

          “And a workshop in Independence,” Jeremey added.

          “What happened?”

          The moment the words left my mouth their eyes went to Ryan, who sat up in his saddle and put on his haughtiest pout.

          “The workshop was in a bad place where we couldn’t get materials and the bar… well… _the bar was a bad idea.”_

          “The workshop was fine, Ryan just didn’t get along with the locals,” Geoff huffed. “Similar situation in Denver.”

          “I can’t stand talking to idiots,” Ryan grumbled. “Especially idiots who think they know more than me.”

          “And the bar setting made it easy for you to get away with starting fights,” Jack sang.

          “I didn’t start a single fight,” Ryan snapped. “I finished them after the imbeciles were done running their mouths tryin’ to tell me I wasn’t a man unless I drank whiskey.”

          “You can’t run a bar when your guard is known for being an uppity asshole,” Geoff muttered to me.

          Ryan’s face was red with indignation and I couldn’t help but smile when he looked at me for help. He rolled his eyes and mouthed a few snarky words to himself as I laughed.

          “So, the Irish Bostonian wasn’t the one startin’ fights?” I grinned.

          “Don’t get me wrong, I started a few brawls,” Jeremey smiled back. “But yer man here’s got quite the temper. Vagabond ain’t entirely an act.”

          I looked over at Ryan, who was watching me out of the corner of his eye as I gave him a once over. He had his mask down around his neck and his scruff was already starting to leave more than a light shadow on his jaw. His skin was dry from the road and his eyes were just as piercing as the stories told. They broke right past any of my defenses and made me stop and pay attention to him, but at the same time, they were soothing. The cold surface of his crystalline eyes gave way to a refreshing coolness that left me sighing.

          “My Ma always said high-class men had the scariest demons,” I smirked, causing his eyebrow to quirk up. “She firmly believed that every high-class person had a demon in them cuz growing up privileged left them vulnerable to life’s darker corners.”

          “What was your Ma’s?” Ryan asked.

          “She liked jewelry,” I said as I stared off at the horizon. “She was only greedy when it came to jewels and precious metals.”

          “And yours?”

          There was a certain purr to Ryan’s tone that, if I didn’t know better, may have been taken as sexual, but I looked over to him and I could see a wicked smirk on his face.

          “So I know when to keep you on a tight lead.”

          The other’s giggled as I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

          “Ain’t it obvious?” I smiled back. “I don’t know when to quit. I’m always goin’ too far without thinkin’ about the consequences.”

          “Sounds like Gavin to me,” Michael chirped, grinning as the man in question squawked indignantly.

          They began arguing about what Gavin’s demon was and Ryan and I fell to the back of the group as they circled around the Brit and inspected him as he squirmed in the middle of their huddle. Ryan reached out and took my hand, making a warm blush spread across my cheeks as he gently brushed his thumb across the back of my hand.

          “I think you’re going to fit in quite nicely,” he said with a smile, his eyes looking at me as if I was a precious work of art.

          “It feels nice to fit in,” I said, squeezing his hand.

          Their voices carried across the desert and melted into the ripples of heat that were making the ground dance in the setting sun. I still had no idea where they were taking me and what they would rope me into once we were there, but I wasn’t afraid. For the first time in ten years, I felt safe and welcome. I had a family.


End file.
